No More Heroes
by White Weasel
Summary: When Phoenix Wright is found guilty of murder, Apollo can't believe it. However, Kristoph helps him get back on his feet and before long he starts taking cases again. The worst of it seems to be over, until a new prosecutor appears. AU
1. Prologue

**AN: This is a new fic that I have had in my mind ever since I finished the Ace Attorney series. (Can't believe it's been a whole year!) It's an Apollo Justice AU... and that's all I'm going to tell you. I would have posted this a lot sooner, but I decided to play Dual Destinies before I wrote anything. Obviously since I'm posting this I finished the game.****This story will contain major AA4 spoils, and minor AA5 spoils in the beginning. Towards the end there will be more major AA5 spoilers. You have been warned.**

_Life isn't some video game; there are no restarts if you mess up. There are no unlimited lives, no choices that automatically loop back to the 'right' one._

_ In life there aren't always happy endings. Sometimes the 'good guy' is defeated by the 'bad'. The evil in others corrupts the good of heart. How do people know who is noble and who isn't? How could anyone suspect their own friend of being one of the dishonest? How could someone take the word of a stranger over that of a companion?_

* * *

"Does the court, in your opinion, need to hear Mr. Wright's testimony?" The Judge asked Apollo. The red defense attorney looked over at his mentor. Mr. Gavin was saying that Mr. Wright's testimony was unrelated, and Apollo was starting to see it that way too. All testimonies must relate to the case, and how could anything that happened before the game relate to the case?

"I suppose there really is no need, Your Honor." Apollo said as he placed his index finger on his forehead in thought.

"Objection!" Phoenix shouted. "This definitely relates to…"

"Give it up Wright." A faint smile appeared on Kristoph's face. "The head of your defense team has deemed it unnecessary. I believe we should consider my own theory about Ms. Orly."

"Objection! She was out cold at the time of the murder."

"She could've woken up. People don't always stay unconscious for a long period of time. Perhaps she came around only a minute after she was hit." Apollo suggested. "Then she did the deed. As Mr. Gavin has said, she has plenty of motive."

Phoenix slammed his hands on the witness stand. He didn't seem as calm as he had before. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He had picked Apollo as his defense attorney so that Kristoph's crime could come to light. "No, when I went down she was still lying there. I even checked to see if she was awake. She wasn't."

"Are you confessing your own guilt?" Payne asked as he flipped his hair. He was no longer sweating like he had been minutes prior.

"No, I-"

"Then Olga Orly is guilty." Kristoph supplied.

"No, she's innocent."

The Judge looked at the disbarred attorney. "Mr. Wright, answer this question honestly. Was Ms. Orly truly unconscious when you went to the basement?"

Phoenix had a choice to make. Lie and save himself, or tell the truth and quite possibly pay the consequences for a crime he did not commit. "…Yes, but I di-"

"Then you hit Shadi Smith. You say that Kristoph Gavin is this 'fourth person', yet he has no motive." The prosecutor flipped his hair again.

"If that is the case then I find no need to prolong the trial any further." The judge raised his gavel.

"Objection!" Apollo shouted as he pointed his finger.

Kristoph looked over at his protégé. "Justice, just save your energy. We can't do anything if our client is truly guilty." The young man slowly dropped his arm so that it joined the other one at his side and looked at him dumbfounded.

"Didn't you say that we couldn't let this case fall through?"

"Well, Wright is throwing out baseless accusations, saying absurd things like that I am the murderer." Kristoph slowly shook his head. "He obviously has something to hide if he's this desperate for an acquittal."

"I will now hand down my verdict." The judge looked around to see if anyone was going to make another statement. "I declare the defendant, Phoenix Wright, guilty. Court is adjourned."

Payne looked very pleased of himself as he turned to Wright. "I believe I did say you would be leaving in chains." Everyone quietly filed out of the courtroom, not believing the outcome of the trial.

Apollo walked into the lobby dejectedly and took a seat on the leather couch. His boss was already getting ready to leave the courthouse. Apparently he had places to be, he did run his own law firm after all.

"Mr. Gavin?"

"Yes, Justice? What is it?"

"Are you… disappointed in me?" Apollo looked up at the older man.

"Why are you asking such a foolish question?"

"I- Your friend's in jail because I couldn't defend him and-" He was cut off when Kristoph held up his hand to signal him to stop talking.

"There seemed to have only been two options at that point in time, him or me." Gavin shook his head from side to side. "You are not saying that I killed Shadi Smith, are you?"

"N-no sir! Of course not!"

"I'm sorry to say this, but it seems that Wright was truly guilty. I, for one, would not want my conscious to be plagued with the knowledge that I let a murderer go free. I fight for truth and justice, just like you should." He gave a reassuring smile to Apollo that made the young man feel a tad better. "Now if you would excuse me I have matters to attend to so I won't be back at the office. See you tomorrow, bright and early."

Kristoph then walked down the steps and got into his car and Apollo was left by himself. Well, technically not by himself, there was still a bailiff, but it looked as if he really wanted the attorney to leave so that he could take a rest. Eventually Apollo did exit. He got on his red bike and pedaled to the Gavin Law Offices just trying to think of a way to explain the case to his co-workers.

**This story picks up after you are technically aware Kristoph didn't know the cards were red, but it is said that he never even met Shadi. Phoenix's testimony would've made said connection. I hope I didn't make any characters OOC... Payne a little bit, but hey, let him get cocky, who knows when he'll win next?**


	2. The Prosecutor Duo

**AN: Well, after a depressing prologue we are going to have something a little more... upbeat. We get to see some more characters in this chapter and the stage is set for the new case. Enjoy!**

Apollo was currently sitting at his desk filling out paper work. It had been about two months since his first trial and he had yet to have a second. He wasn't asking for some front page headliner, he would settle for armed robbery, domestic violence, petty theft, whatever really. Sometimes he wondered why he was even wearing a badge when all he ever did was write or type till his hand cramped up.

Like right now. At this moment in time he was filling out paper work for a case James Johnson, another attorney working under Gavin, had acted as the defense attorney in. He felt like a paid intern. The man had two working hands, let him do it.

Suddenly someone dropped something on his desk. Apollo looked up to see James crossing his arms. He seemed to be glaring at him, but it was hard to tell through the glasses he wore.

_Well speak of the devil._

"Mr. Gavin has a new case for you." The red attorney opened the folder enthusiastically. "It's a murder case, but don't be expecting some high profile clientele. The guy's a drunk, and let me tell you, dealing with an alcoholic is not an enjoyable experience. Nobody else wanted to take the case so you're stuck with it."

The more Apollo read through the file the more his brow furrowed. It seemed that the client, Samuel Faryad, really had killed the victim. It also was unsettling how many similarities this case had with his first case. Both victims were hit in the head with a bottle, both of the defendants had never met the victim before the night it occurred, and both suspects had evidence stacked against them. Okay, well apparently the last one was a pretty common occurrence according to Mr. Gavin.

"Are you going to see Mr. Gavin now or just sit there?" James adjusted his tan suit jacket sleeve so that he could look at his watch. Apollo hated how he acted so superior to everyone. Sometimes he wanted to say, _'Hey, just because you're getting old doesn't mean that you're getting any better at what you do.'_ Actually, he kind of reminded him of Winston Payne.

"I'm going. He's in his office, right?" James nodded. Apollo grabbed the manila folder and went over to the wooden door which led to his boss's office. He knocked on the door and then stuck his head into the room.

"Ah, good afternoon Justice." Kristoph motioned for him to come in.

"I got the case." He held up the paper. "Thank you for giving me a second chance."

"Why wouldn't I? It would be a terrible loss to the law community if I let that one loss keep me from assigning you any cases." Apollo turned his gaze to the floor. "Or if you let it get to you."

Apollo tucked away the look of sadness. He couldn't show how disappointed he still was. It happened two months ago, he needed to move on. "Understood sir. Anyways, I was wondering when you want me to be in the Defendant's Lobby?"

Kristoph gave a small chuckle. "You can't get rid of me that easily. We have to investigate the crime scene."

"Isn't that the police's job?" Apollo must've said something really dumb because Kristoph simply shook his head.

"If the police's investigation was thorough our client would be guilty. It is also nice to look at the scene of the crime and evidence before the trial date. The reason we couldn't do it last time was because we received the request it was already late at night and the trial was the next morning."

"Um, so when should we leave Mr. Gavin?"

"How about now?"

* * *

Miles Edgeworth walked into the visiting room in the prison. The guards didn't even ask for an ID. Though he had only recently become Chief Prosecutor, he had already made quite a name for himself. With numerous skilled attorneys in the prosecutor office he trusted to find the truth he knew he did not have to babysit everyone.

On a much more ominous note many _other_ prosecutors under him were forging evidence. Furthermore he had two criminals accepting cases. One was the 'Twisted Samurai' who had been convicted for a grisly murder and the other was the newly released from prison, Lana Skye. The icing on the figurative cake was that he was now the care taker of the daughter of two condemned murderers. Edgeworth could already hear the rumors spreading, but he could not care less what they were saying.

Miles sat down at one end of a table. Soon the individual whom he was waiting for entered the room accompanied with two stoic looking guards on either side of him. He was handcuffed to the table and the sentries went to stand by the door.

The man smiled. He had stubble on his chin that never seemed to grow longer and had somewhat spikey hair with a small strand hanging in front of his face. Edgeworth had never seen him wearing orange before, and now he knew why. He was no expert in fashion, but he could tell that the color looked terrible on him.

"Edgeworth, it's nice to have someone to talk to. You know, besides the prison psychiatrist."

"You are a 'dangerous criminal' after all; it is required of you to go through psychological therapy."

Phoenix's smile faded at the thought of what other people thought of him. Oh, don't get him wrong, he knew his childhood friend was joking, but it just reminded him of the image he had gained himself. "So, how is Trucy doing?"

"She's holding up. Obviously I couldn't bring her with me today since she has classes."

"Thank you for taking care of her… I don't know what I would've done if you didn't take her in." The two men sat in silence for a few minutes. "How's that new prosecutor working out?"

Edgeworth looked to the side and smiled a bit. "I believe she'll be interested in the first case I'm assigning her."

"She'll be taking her first case by herself?"

"No, she'll be receiving a co-council. Does the name Lana Skye ring a bell?" Phoenix nodded. How could he forget? She was one of his more notable defendants. "I believe the two of them could help each other out immensely. Lana, teaching what cannot be taught with books and Anya… some of the more unconventional methods she brings to the table. I'm sorry I have to cut this little get-together short, but I have a meeting."

"I trust I'll be seeing you soon, Edgeworth." The prosecutor got up from his chair and exited the building. He got in his sport's car and drove back to his office. He walked up the twelve flights of stair to his office. Some things just never changed.

When he opened the door to room 1202 and was surprised to see long brown hair. The figure turned her head and she gave a small smile.

"Skye," The Chief Prosecutor said hiding the bit of shock over the woman already sitting in one of his office's chairs. "Don't you know that trespassing is a crime?"

"Of course, but leaving the door unlocked was probably not a wise move." Edgeworth went and sat down behind his desk. At that moment a knock was heard on the door.

"There she is. Come in."

A woman in her twenties entered. She had long black hair that wasn't in any particular style and piercing green eyes. She almost reminded him of Kay Faraday, in terms of physical appearance. She wore a black pencil skirt and a dark purple frilly top. She smoothed the skirt down and sat in the chair next to Lana.

"I believe you two have already met, correct?" Edgeworth asked. Both nodded. "Good, now to cut to the chase, I am pairing you two up as mentor and mentee."

Anya objected. "Edgeworth, I don't think this is really necessary. Ms. Skye and I could tackle more cases if we worked separate from each other."

"Who said I cared about how many cases we take on and how quick? All I care about is that the correct verdict is passed, and teaming you two up will ensure that. Eventually Anya, you will take cases on your own."

Both women sat there silently. Neither of them really knew each other personally. Anya knew all about the SL-9 incident and Lana's involvement in the events that occurred afterwards, and Lana knew all about Anya's situation, courtesy of Edgeworth pulling her aside and explaining it. Normally the older Skye would have said no to the whole arrangement, but how could she after she had heard about why the girl was even here?

"So, when will the first case be?" Lana asked.

"Does now sound good?" He slid a file folder across the desk. "It's a pretty simple one for a first case." Both females skimmed over the contents of the folder.

"The defense attorney will be someone from Gavin Law Offices?" Anya asked as she raised one eyebrow. The slightest smile played on her lips.

"Yes, you probably won't know who exactly until you investigate the crime scene."

"Then why don't we get going Ms. Skye?" Anya asked as she shut the file and put it under her arm.

"Of course." The duo left the office without another word. Edgeworth smirked a bit.

_ Those two are acting so formal around each other right now. However, they will make an outstanding pair, especially when they warm up to each other. I know what Anya is fighting for, and while I don't necessarily approve, I know she won't let it cloud her sense of justice… And if she does, Lana will set her straight._


	3. Skye Sisters

**AN: After a long basketball tournament I have finally finished this chapter. I'm not very pleased with how well this one flowed, but then again this is all investigation... A very very short investigation. IF you're confused on the details surrounding the case, don't worry, because it will all be explained in court. **

"I believe that is the head detective on this case, Justice. It would be very wise to ask her about what transpired here." Apollo nodded. The defense attorneys walked up to her. Upon closer inspection he could tell that the woman was wearing her brown hair in some sort of bun, a topknot if he remembered correctly. She also held a small plastic bag with a chocolate snack in it.

"Umm, hello." The detective looked up from her notepad. Apollo flashed his small attorney's badge. "I'm Apollo Justice, the lead defense attorney for this case."

"Ema Skye, head detective." She took one of the snacks from her bag and started to munch on it.

"So, uh, could you tell me a little bit about what exactly happened here two nights ago?" He ruffled back his hair sheepishly, as if he were embarrassed to be asking the question.

"Well on the night of June 27 Samuel Faryad and Victor Timly were here for a couple of drinks. They were sitting at the bar over there." Ema gestured over to a counter that had a few stools by it. "Apparently Mr. Timly asked Mr. Faryad to walk with him over behind that wall. When the bartender went to close up for the night and kick them out, she found the dead body of Mr. Timly and Mr. Faryad, completely passed out. She called the cops."

"Did anybody see this happen?"

"There are no direct eye witnesses." Apollo smirked a bit at this. "But don't think there won't be any at the trial."

"Who will be the witnesses for the trial?" Kristoph asked.

"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. My lips are sealed."

"What? No fair, you're keeping information from us." Apollo whined.

"Justice, not everything is 'fair'. As I like to say, 'Equitable but not equal'. Just because we don't know who the witnesses are right away doesn't mean we can't find out for ourselves. For right now though, why don't we find out who our opposition will be tomorrow?"

Apollo did as he was told. "Can you at least tell us who the prosecutor will be, detective?"

"Anya Fallman."

"Who?" Apollo really hoped he wasn't the only one who was clueless as to who this was.

"Anya, she's a new prosecutor. Lana Skye will be accompanying her at the bench."

Apollo put a finger to his forehead. "Skye? Isn't that your last name?"

"Yeah, Lana's my older sister."

"Oh yes, you two were involved in that case many years ago. I remember hearing about it." Kristoph remarked. Ema looked to the side a bit sadly in remembrance.

"She was released fairly recently."

"Wait, released? She was in prison?!"

"Low security," Kristoph supplied. "I'll inform you of the details later. Detective Skye, you seem to be in a better mood than normal. Usually you're very, how should I put this, ill-tempered."

*Ka-tonk* Apollo's forehead was hit by a chocolate treat. "Why'd you hit me?!"

"If you must know, it's because I get to work with Lana again." She said ignoring Apollo's question. "If you guys want to examine the crime scene you'll have to come back later. We're still not done here."

"Let's go then, Justice. Besides, we should probably question our client."

"Yes sir."

* * *

The two attorneys sat down in the chairs provided for them on their side of the glass. The guards had said that Samuel would be out shortly. Sure enough, soon a man in his thirties appeared behind the glass. He looked as if he hadn't shaved in a few days and his black hair was in disarray. The buttons on his gray shirt didn't match up, suggesting that he had missed one of the holes when he was getting dressed.

"'Sup" He said giving a sleepy grin.

"Hello Mr. Faryad. I'm Apollo Justice and I will be the defense attorney for your trial. I just need to ask you a few questions."

Samuel groaned. "I've been answerin' questions all day man."

"Then a few more shouldn't hurt." Kristoph said.

"Woah, who's this guy?"

"Kristoph Gavin, he'll be assisting me at the bench." Faryad nodded slightly. "Okay, so what exactly happened last night?"

"Man, last night was crazy. I had a few drinks and then I was talking with some dude. Then some stuff happened and next thing I know I'm here."

"Some 'stuff' happened? Can you please be more specific?" Apollo could already feel a major headache coming on.

"It's all kinda a blur. I dunno what happened."

"Well, uh, what can you tell me about yourself? What's your occupation?"

"Havin' a job is for bums."

Apollo sweat dropped. _Does he even know what a bum is?_

"Then how do you get money?"

"My folks." _This is hopeless._

"What about the victim, Mr. Timly, what was your connection?"

"I dunno who that is." Kristoph pulled a picture of Victor Timly out of his briefcase. Victor was a very generic man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. "Oh, that's the dude I was talkin' to!"

"I see, thank you for your… help in the case." Apollo said as he stood up. "Should we go back to the crime scene now, Mr. Gavin?"

"I believe we could do that. We will be seeing you tomorrow Mr. Faryad."

"Y'okay"

* * *

The two returned to the bar and immediately walked over to Ema. Two other women seemed to be examining the crime scene as well.

"Detective Skye, may we inspect the crime scene?" Kristoph asked.

"Sure," Kristoph was just about to add something. "Before you ask, yes we got an autopsy report. Legally, you are entitled to one, so here." She handed Apollo a folder. He quickly scanned through the contents and then proceeded to put it in his briefcase. He made his way behind the wall that obscured the view of where the murder took place.

Apollo didn't know where to begin. The murder weapon was probably the most obvious piece of evidence. He looked at the bottle. It was broken with many shard of glass protruding out, as if waiting to cut someone. There was also a decent amount of blood on the bottle.

"So this is the bottle?" Apollo asked, almost to himself.

"Justice, you may want to take notes on this. Even though it's entered in the court record it is nice to remember your own, personal observations." Apollo did as advised.

There was nothing else of real interest where they were standing. The two women besides them were not having any luck either.

"Pretty clean murder, huh?" Apollo said, hoping to strike up a conversation. He really wanted to find out more about the case. The black haired women glanced over at him and Kristoph and looked as if she wanted either one or both of them to drop over dead. She paced over to a taller, more imposing brunette.

"I believe that might be the prosecution." Kristoph said.

"Why do you say that?"

"The woman in the military uniform is Lana Skye; I know that for a fact. Therefor I can deduce that the female with her is Anya Fallman. I must say, I imagined her to be much more intimidating."

"She seems average." With silent agreement from Kristoph the two began poking around for more clues, but to no avail.

"I believe we should be going. There is nothing more to be found here." Kristoph shook his head as if he were upset with the crime scene itself.

"Should we head back to the office?" Apollo inquired.

"You can, I need to go to the detention center and ask about something that may be… helpful during the trial."

"Okay." Apollo walked all the way back to the Gavin Law Offices. He made his back to his desk and pored over every word in every file he had possession of about his case. The case might've been similar to his first, but this time Apollo would not lose.

**I'll explain the name of Samuel Faryad later because it actually has relevance to the case. Victor Timly though... It should be pretty obvious, but I'll give you a hint. Call him Vick.**


	4. Enter Anya Fallman

**AN: Welp, here we are, court. I had a hard time writing this chapter. I inserted humor but I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it, but I figured I'd better add it now because later on there's no way anyone's going to be cracking jokes... **

Apollo was nervous, no questions about it, Last time he stood in court he had lost. Whatever small reputation he had because of him being Kristoph Gavin's pupil had been lost.

_Now's no time to think about that, Justice. You're fine! Apollo Justice is fine!_ The defense attorney took a few deep breaths. He just needed to calm down. Besides, Mr. Gavin had told him that he was going to be bringing a piece of evidence that could turn the whole case around.

Speaking of Mr. Gavin, the man himself just entered the lobby, looking as composed as ever. He seemed to be carrying a small object in his right hand. Apollo could not quite make out what he was holding though.

"Good morning Mr. Gavin."

"Ah, good morning Justice." The man tilted his head sideways. "I trust you are well."

"Yeah," Apollo ruffled his hair. "I fell asleep while reading the case file last night and got up at 9 AM. I didn't even have time to do my 'Chords of Steel' voice workout."

Kristoph just chuckled and presented Apollo a small baggie that contained a leather square, a wallet to be exact, a pocket knife, a set of keys, and some spare change. "That errand I mentioned yesterday. This is the fruit of my labor."

"Umm, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is all of that stuff?"

"These are the contents of Mr. Faryad's pockets."

"Can you guess what's in my pockets Mr. Gavin?" Apollo asked. He was trying to joke around to keep his mind off of the impending trial.

"Pocket lint, and nothing more." Kristoph said as he exhaled.

"Actually it's a cellphone."

"Justice, please focus."

"Okay, so what does this junk have to do with anything?"

"Who knows?" Kristoph's glasses reflected the light of the room. "It may be necessary later on, or it may not be." Before Apollo could ask exactly what his boss meant by that, the doors opened revealing and unsteady Samuel.

"Hey guys, how you been?" The man was swaying slightly and his physical appearance was no different than it was the day before. In fact, it might've been worse.

_How can he still be drunk?! They don't allow alcohol in Detention, do they? If so, what has our legal system come to? On second thought, don't answer that._

"Fine… so, did you get any sleep last night?" Apollo asked trying to make small talk. After all, he didn't have any questions for Samuel.

"Yep, best night's sleep I ever got." Apollo blinked.

_His living conditions must really be terrible if he slept well on a bed that was essentially for prisoners. _

"The defense may enter the courtroom with his co-counsel." The bailiff announced as he opened the door. Kristoph gave a slight nod towards Apollo to signal that they should enter the court.

"Don't worry Mr. Faryad, I'll try my best for your sake." Apollo reassured.

Apollo stood next to Kristoph at the defense's bench. The prosecution was doing the same. The woman with black hair looked up from the papers she was examining before the trial.

Apollo turned to his mentor and whispered, "Now that I actually have had a chance to see Ms. Fallman's face, I'd have to say, she's not bad."

"Justice, please concentrate."

"We could double date, Ms. Skye seems like she'd be right up your alley." Apollo nudged his mentor with his elbow.

"What you do with your personal time is your decision; however we are on my time right now. I will not have you making comments about the prosecution's appearance, understand?"

"Yes sir." The rookie uttered dejectedly. Just then the judge walked in.

"All rise." The bailiff announced. Everybody did. An older gentleman with a bald head and a long beard then made his way up to his podium and sat down.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Samuel Faryad." The judge announced. "Is the prosecution ready?"

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor." Anya responded with a stoic voice.

"Is the defense ready?"

"The defense is ready to begin, Your Honor."

" Good good, now will the prosecution please give their opening statement."

"Of course, on June 27 Mr. Faryad brutally attacked the victim, Victor Timly, and killed him."

_Wow, she sure does put things 'as they are'. _

The old judge looked surprised. "Really? Then why are we having a trial?!"

"Justice, the prosecution is making our client out to be some sort of monster. I suggest you call her out on it." Apollo nodded.

"Objection! Ms. Fallman is tarnishing my client's reputation."

"Sustained…. Anya Fallman, that is your name, correct?" The judge inquired.

"Yes."

"Have I seen you before? You look vaguely familiar."

"You must be mistaken. This is my first time in court."

"I guess my memory isn't what it used to be. Anyways, would you please call your first witness to the stand?"

"It would be my pleasure. The prosecution calls detective Ema Skye to the stand." In no time at all the scientific detective was on the stand, already munching away on Snackoos. "Witness, your name and occupation."

"I don't see why I have to, I mean we all-" She stopped herself when she saw the glare that Lana sent her way. "Ema Skye, detective."

"Would you please fill in the court as to the details of the crime?"

"I don't really have much of a choice…"

_~ Witness Testimony ~_

"_**The night of the murder Mr. Faryad and Mr. Timly were in the same bar together. Other than that they have no relation.**_

_**However, the evidence is strong that Samuel's the culprit.**_

_**His fingerprints are on the murder weapon and he's the only one who was with Mr. Timly at the time of the murder.**_

_**All in all I think it's safe to say that this case is open and shut."**_

"You don't know that." Protested Apollo.

"Fine, it's _close_ to open and shut." Ema corrected herself.

"That's not what you said in your testimony." Apollo reasoned.

"Does it really matter?" Lana asked, looking as if she were resisting the urge to face palm.

"I find it quite amusing." Anya stated as she chuckled behind her hand.

Kristoph, however, was in the same boat as Lana. "Your Honor, can we just cross-examine Ms. Skye."

"Mr. Gavin, why would you want to cross-examine the prosecution?" The old man looked dumbfounded. Everyone in the room stared at him in disbelief, probably thinking if he was fit enough to hand down a proper verdict.

"Let me rephrase that. Can the defense cross-examine the witness?"

"Yes you may." The judge was still scratching his head.

_**~ Cross Examination ~**_

"_**The night of the murder Mr. Faryad and Mr. Timly were in the same bar together. Other than that they have no relation."**_

"Hold it! Then why is my client being suspected? He had no motive to kill Mr. Timly." Apollo questioned as he put a finger to his forehead.

"Maybe if you listened to the rest of the testimony you would know why." Anya retorted.

"Yeah, I was just getting to that…"

"_**However, the evidence is strong that Samuel's the culprit."**_

"_**His fingerprints are on the murder weapon and he's the only one who was with Mr. Timly at the time of the murder."**_

"Hold it! I would like to see this evidence for myself."

"Of course." Anya pulled out two manila folders and a broken bottle. "The prosecution would like to present the murder weapon and the autopsy report to the court."

The judge quickly skimmed through the autopsy report. "Cause of Death: Fractured Skull?!"

"Yes, the defendant hit the victim so hard that the man's skull was cracked, not completely of course, but enough to damage the brain and kill the man." Anya explained solemnly.

Ema smirked a little. "There was obviously no alternate way of death…"

"_**All in all I think it's safe to say that this case is open and shut."**_

"I think I milked that for as much as it was worth…" Apollo said dejectedly.

"You did well considering how little information was given in the testimony itself." Kristoph reassured him.

"The witness may now step down." Anya announced.

The red defense attorney's spikes began to droop. "After one testimony?"

"It's not uncommon for the head detective on a case to only give a small testament." Kristoph observed.

"The prosecution would like to call its next witness."

"Keep on your toes, Justice. This is where the real difficulties begin."

**No, this will not be Apollo/Anya or Kristoph/Lana. I don't like canon/OC and though I think Kristoph/Lana would be cute in the correct context this is not it. Anyways, it would make me very happy if you dropped a review. It keeps me motivated. This story_ will_ be finished... just the rate of how quickly updates come may differ... **


	5. Southern Bella

Soon enough a blond woman in her mid-twenties stood behind the witness stand. She was polishing a glass mug with a cloth, yet it did not seem to be her main focus.

"Witness, please state your name and occupation for the court." Anya instructed.

"Sure thing doll face, I'm Bella South, a bartender at Benji's Bar." Bella flashed an award winning smile.

"Could you please testify about the events that happened on the night of the murder?"

"Course I can."

_~Witness Testimony~_

"_**That night two men walked into a bar and sat down at the counter. Nothing unusual 'bout that.**_

_**The one man, Faryad, was being real loud and obnoxious. The other man, Timly, kept glancing over in his direction and looking quite annoyed. **_

_**Eventually Timly asked Faryad to come with him; he did.**_

_**The two went behind a wall to talk. They never came back out."**_

"Wait, so you never saw the actual crime?" The judge inquired.

"'Fraid not."

"There are no direct eye-witnesses due to the location of the murder itself." Anya held out a map for the court to see. It had one large open room with a counter on the right side. A wall jutted out to obscure the view of anyone who was sitting at the bar counter. It did not extend the whole length of the room though. This made a small alcove. Anya put her finger on the secluded location. "The murder took place here. Only the victim and defendant were there at that time."

"Oh, that does make it seem like the defendant is guilty. Why, I could hand down my verdict right here!"

"Objection! The defense still hasn't cross-examined the witness." Apollo pointed out.

"Oh yes, well you may start."

_~Cross Examination~_

"_**That night two men walked into a bar and sat down at the counter. Nothing unusual 'bout that."**_

"Hold it! Did these two men enter together?"

"No, the victim entered around five minutes after the defendant."

"Were there any other customers in the bar?" Apollo put his index finger on his forehead.

"Yeah, a few."

"Can you tell us about the other patrons?"

"Objection!" Anya's voice cried. "The fact of who was in the bar besides the two men is irrelevant at this time."

"What if one of them had some sort of connection to the victim or defendant?"

"If that's the case, prove it."

Apollo's ruffled his hair back. "W-well, I don't have any evidence right now. I was just putting the theory out there."

"Justice," Kristoph cautioned. "Don't throw around baseless conjecture. It makes us look like fools and damages our credibility."

"S-sorry sir." Apollo adjusted his tie. "Can you tell us more about how the victim and defendant were behaving that night?"

"_**The one man, Faryad, was being real loud and obnoxious. The other man, Timly, kept glancing over in his direction and looked quite annoyed." **_

"Hold it! Mr. Timly was looking irritated? Why would that be?"

"Well Faryad was showing off a bunch of little tricks, real stupid ones too. TImly seemed to be very sophisticated, he might've been one of those snobby types." Bella put the glass up to her face and looked through it as if she were inspecting it for spots that were unclean.

"So, my client was doing bar tricks?"

"Yeah, harmless stuff like who could drink more shots in a minute. It was quite amusing actually. Timly must have been fed up with him and…

_**Eventually Timly asked Faryad to come with him; he did.**_

_**The two went behind a wall to talk. They never came back out."**_

"Hold it! Surely you must have heard some noises that would suggest that something happened."

"Well, yeah I heard something, but I just figured it was a bar fight. Those aren't too uncommon."

"Justice, I don't think there will be any good in perusing this line of questioning." Kristoph said as he looked over at Apollo.

"I'm sorry Mr. Gavin, but I'm going to have to disagree with you." The attorney pounded his fists against the bench. "People don't simply get into bar fights, especially when one of those people is 'one of those snobby types'!" Bella looked stunned and threw the glass into the air a little ways. She caught it before it could hit the ground.

"Objection!" Anya yelled from the other side of the courtroom. "What does it matter what the witness thought was going on?"

Apollo crossed his arms and wore a smug expression on his face. "I'm just saying that it doesn't necessarily match up with what we know about the victim."

"We don't know that was his personality, that's just what the witness thought."

"The whole testimony hangs on the fact that Timly called Faryad back. If Faryad wasn't annoyed there would've been no reason to call him." Everyone in attendance seemed to ponder over the idea and everything was silent.

"What if it wasn't a bar fight?" Lana finally suggested.

"Wait, what?" Apollo's hair sagged.

"Ms. South?"

"Y-yes." Bella replied as she resumed cleaning her mug.

Anya seemed to catch on to what her Lana was going to ask. She beat the older woman to the punch. "Do you think that you could recall what Mr. Timly and Mr. Faryad were talking about before the murder took place?"

"O-of course!"

_~Witness Testimony~_

"_**A few minutes after the two left I heard raised voices.**_

_**Yes, the victim was sternly talking to the defendant, he seemed to be trying to keep quiet but I could still hear him.**_

_**He was yelling at Faryad for the wagers he was making.**_

_**Just after that I heard the sound of glass shattering, then I heard a dull sound followed by a thump.**_

_**Faryad had hit Timly!"**_

"So you're saying that the victim was scolding my client for making bets. Seems a bit harsh."

"Well, I couldn't catch all the words they were throwing back and forth, but that was the gist of it." Bella said.

"The time for asking questions is during a cross examination." Anya seemed slightly annoyed. "Get going."

_~Cross Examination~ _

"_**A few minutes after the two left I heard raised voices."**_

"Hold it! Are you sure that the voices belonged to the Mr. Timly and Mr. Faryad" Apollo pointed his index finger.

"Of course. Most of the other patrons were quiet and there were no other crew member on staff at the time."

"_**Yes, the victim was sternly talking to the defendant, he seemed to be trying to keep quiet but I could still hear him.**_

_**He was yelling at Faryad for the wagers he was making."**_

"That hardly seems plausible. What would a random person care if someone was making bets?"

"Hey, don't ask me!" Bella put her hands up in surprise. "All I did was hear their conversation. That wasn't the real surprising thing though…

_**Just after that I heard the sound of glass shattering, then I heard a dull sound followed by a thump."**_

"Hold it! Glass shattering? Could that be the murder weapon?"

"And the thump," Kristoph added, "The body hitting the floor."

"But what about this dull sound?" Apollo put his finger to his temple. "Ms. South, could you describe the sound in a little more detail?"

"Sure hon. It was low and quick, almost as if something had struck something else."

"Something had struck something else…"

Kristoph had a ghost of a smirk on his lips. "Justice, I think I have an idea as to what happened." He leaned over and whispered something that was inaudible to the rest of the court. Apollo looked shocked, but also seemed impressed.

"That explains it."

"Ahem," Anya cleared her throat. "If the defense would stop whispering amongst themselves and get on with it."

"My humblest apologies, we will continue." Kristoph didn't bother trying to cover up his grin.

"_**Faryad had hit Timly!"**_

"Objection! We've had this wrong from the beginning."

Anya rolled her eyes. "I suppose the victim hit himself. That would be the perfect explanation."

"Oh, nothing like that Ms. Fallman, but Mr. Timly did hold the bottle."

"What nonsense are you conjuring up now?"

"The victim held the bottle to hit my client!" The courtroom went into an uproar.

"Objection!" Anya leaned over the prosecutor's bench. "Then how did Timly die?!"

"My client did hit the victim." If possible the court became even louder.

Anya seemed surprised, but then returned to a neutral expression. "So this is your way out of the charges, you're…"

"Yes, the defense pleads justified self-defense."


End file.
